The War of Four: The Precipice of War
Previous Chapter The War of Four: The Precipice of War Act I Anticipated Betrayal, The Real Fight Begins Now! "This isn't looking good," Kyōaku thought to himself as he observed the battlefield. From what he could tell, the Fullbringer squads were being captured or subdued swiftly by the organized Alliance squads. Not only that, but he intercepted the communique from Dragon Brina McTavish, reigning in all of the remaining members of the 43rd Sherman Regiment to withdraw, effectively crippling any chance to establish a good foothold within the Rukonagi Districts surrounding the Seireitei areas. Not only that, but the staff within the headquarters was only a mere 5% of the remaining forces left at their disposal. With the destruction of their aerial fleet, carrying a good portion of their Airborne Units and Aircraft with them, there would be no chance to call in reinforcements to keep HQ secure. He also found disturbing readings that Furuidenshō and Hana had won against his associates. He could sense their Spiritual Pressure faintly, allowing to breathe a sigh of relief. All containment procedures had gone awry with Furuidenshō's release, not even being able to retrieve Kōsei's very much alive person as he went into hiding within the substructure of the Seireitei. Even more recently, he saw that Shūkurō's signal had gone offline and his Spiritual Pressure vanished. All video and audio feeds were cut, and his presence seemed to completely disappear. Kyōaku growled lowly, finding it frustrating that one of his most valued colleagues had gone missing at such a crucial point, as well when he was on the verge of gaining victory over ex-Captain Kuchiki. "I can't believe its come to this," Kyōaku spoke as he began to type in specific commands into the interactive console on his armplate, as he spoke aloud to the ever-impassive visage of his unhelpful ally, "S''ōsuke-kun, I suggest if you want to keep purchase of this territory to bring in what forces you have at your disposal. What personnel we have left I'm going to transport to one of our secure outposts in Aether, and regroup with our forces there. It will take time, but we can resupply and repair any damage you and your forces make once I have everything ready in a few days time-"'' "I think you misunderstand the position you placed yourself in, Kyōaku Hōritsu," Sōsuke interrupted, his voice boding with something akin to a disappointed tone, as his discolored eyes met the visor of Kyōaku's helm, "you've just weakened the enemy for myself and Yhwach-san to utterly crush here and today. While you and your precious Horsemen associates have now been struck to your knees, I'm going to assume the throne I've deserved since the first day of the invasion." Kyōaku's body stiffened, and his finger stopped hitting commands. He knew this would be a issue, and had accounted for a number of ways to deal with him. But now of all times? Considering he didn't have Tsukishima at his beck and call to assist him, he couldn't defer to the frontal assault he desired. "You know, I think you'll understand if I tell you that I expected this from you. I just honestly wish that it wasn't true," Kyōaku spoke with a sigh, rising from his seat, walking slowly towards Aizen's direction as he thumbed his Zanpakutō out of its sheathe, "after all the humiliation you suffered at the hands of Ichigo Kurosaki, you couldn't just roll over and die, could you? How about you do us all a favor and do so now." "Kyōaku Hōritsu," Sōsuke spoke directly to him, his eyes casting down at him analytically as he sat upon his smoothly carved throne, "you're a man of great intellect, combat prowess, and resilience. Its no wonder you were chosen as the Third Horseman of the Inner Circle. But honestly, if you wanted to have a chance of possibly incapacitating me, you would've needed at least two of your comrades. Alone...you are nothing but dust in the wind to me." "All I hear is talking," Kyōaku snarled behind his helm menacingly, as he withdrew his Zanpakutō out of his enamored scabbard, raising it to bear upon the White King himself, "why don't you show me what you're made of!" Sōsuke merely tapped his right forefinger against the armrest of his throne, as his silver eye glowed brightly in emphasis of his remotely triggered action, "R'ōten!'" All Kyōaku saw was white. Instinctively, his Kidō armor reinforced his physical defenses, as a searing column of white flames erupted beneath him, searing up into the heavens, and splitting the thunderous column of storm clouds. Within the star-lit sky, a cacophony of white electrical bolts flew from one edge of the hole within the storm covered sky to another, to signify the devestating power behind the blast. Swinging his blade to part the flames, Kyōaku couldn't help but scoff aloud at the attempt. His Kidō Armor had been imbued with properties similar to his Zanpakutō. Having dissipated the destructive energies within the space around his body, Kyōaku had silently released Zanpakutō to further instill his integrity against the unnaturally potent blast. To this, Sōsuke's eyes widened a fraction with intrigue and surprise. "Oh? You're still standing after an attack like that?" Sōsuke asked with curiosity, his eyes glistening with promise of a challenge. "Your fancy tricks won't help you, Sōsuke-kun," Kyōaku chided his enemy with a mock bow, rearing his blade back in preparation, "though, I'm fairly certain that you'll find my type of tricks to be much more substantial." SHFT-SPLURCH! "G-Gaugh!" Sōsuke's mouth suddenly ejected a forceful load of blood from his mouth. Looking down with surprise, he barely had time to react to Kyōaku's thrust, and looked down to see his chest impaled by Kyōaku's blade. What's worse, was the sight of a split Hōgyoku bend under the power of his enemy's weapon, causing his eyes to widen with shock and very apparent fear "w-what have you done...to...me?!" "Amaterasu ''is a Zanpakut'ō with unprecedented power over Life and Death. Its an embodiment of sowing life to its wielder and reaping it from those it may claim as prey,''" Kyōaku explained as he dug his blade further through the marble throne Sōsuke sat upon, relishing the violent twitches as blood began to flow from the ivory seat and descending the dramatic steps, "''I don't care if you think you're a god, superior to the Children of Izanami, or if the H'ōgyoku has made you nigh immortal. My Zanpakut'ō's control over the fate of anything its edge comes into contact is absolute. No one is exempt. Not even you!''" As more blood gargled up from Sōsuke's throat, a guttural chuckle elapsed from his sickly, blood-soaked lips as he looked haughtily back at Kyōaku, "Thank you for that information, Kyōaku-chan. I'll make sure...to use it wisely...against you..." "What are you-?" Kyōaku began to ask, but wouldn't get the chance to finish. '''SPLURCH! "-nnnngh?!" Kyōaku lurched forward onto his blade, as he felt something push through his back and out his chest, effectively tearing through the armor as if it was nothing but cloth. Looking down, he saw an immaculate hand, identical to Sōsuke's, covered in his blood up to his black silk sleeve. As he looked at the victim that fell prey to his blade, he realized with horror it was indeed Sōsuke who impaled him from behind. The blood, the body, the scent and visual body that sat before him shattered into glass fragments, before dissipating into the air as blue slivers of spirit energy. "Its a good thing I left myself to double for my presence. Had you hit me with my guard down, you might've done serious damage to me," Sōsuke spoke behind him, as his feet hovered in the middle of the space behind the twitching body solidly embedding his arm within, "that is, if you actually could touch me with such an arrogantly presumptious weapon such as that." "''Myself?" Kyōaku thought, as his mind began to work in overdrive, as he slowly withdrew his blade from the cracked throne, "does he mean that...he didn't cast an illusion on me...but rather...left an impressionary creation of his that he could manipulate from any span of distance, even preform his own techniques at will? Then...I know he hasn't made me succumb to an illusion...which means..." GRRRRRRP! "?!" Sōsuke's eyes widened as he felt his wrist firmly grasped by Kyōaku's left gloved hand, with sudden renewed strength he didn't account for. "''Thanks for giving yourself away, S'ōsuke-kun. That was very..." '''SLICE!' "...thoughtful of you!" Kyōaku snarled out, as his blade swung around and dismembered both his own grappling left arm, but Sōsuke's right arm as well. "What?!" Sōsuke quickly backpedaled away, ignoring the fact his own right forearm had been sliced cleanly off, but the fact Kyōaku cut his own to allow the clean cut to succeed in taking his limb off. "I'm pretty certain that your body is unnaturally condensed with Spiritual particles, making physical injuries almost impossible to occur unless a high yield of force is utilized," Kyōaku spoke calmly, as he turned to address Sōsuke, despite the copious amounts of blood continued to leak from his left stump and his midriff's newly attained hole, "so I ''hypothesized that the only thing that could negate that type of physical integrity were a spacial-type Kidō, a refined blade composed of Sekkiseki minerals, or by making contact with my Zanpakut'ō's edge. Thanks to you, the third hypothetical option is now a factual one I can use at my own leisure.''" "You seem...awfully confident for a man who has been impaled, and sacrificed his own arm," Sōsuke spoke with an impassively stoic stare, "even if you were physically at the peak your Shinigami abilities, even you cannot possibly fight against me without some form of fallback plan in mind." "''Awfully perceptive of you, S'ōsuke-kun! In fact, I do have a reliable source of replenishing my lost blood and body's tissue," Kyōaku spoke nonchalantly, turning his blade around to point at his chest. Surely enough, his chest seemed to be instinctively sealing itself up from the inside, as strands of blood red tissue sewn itself from within, before his skin overlapped on the outside and perfectly healed it within a matter of seconds. Even his arm generated new bone, ligaments, muscle, and skin to flawlessly duplicate what had been lost, shown with an instinctive gripping movement as he showed it to Sōsuke's eyes. "''My body is filled to the brim with nanites that activate when my body is in danger. I can subconsciously order them to repair any damage sustained and replace any tissue, blood, bone, organs, and limbs that have been lost. You could call this...Perfect Regeneration...due to it not even touching my bountiful supply of Spiritual Power within my body," Kyōaku smiled smugly behind his helm, waving his blade out before Sōsuke, "though, I'm sure this is a much more crude form of healing power in comparison to yours, Sōsuke-kun." "You see right through me, eh?" Sōsuke mockingly observed, as he stood up fully. Without even batting an eye, white fluid and strands of unnatural tissue stretched from within the severed portion of his right arm, reassembling his arm within seconds. He even repaired the sleeve with a small dispersal of unfelt Spirit Energy manipulation, "anymore abilities do you have to show, or am I wasting my time prattling on with you?" "Patience, Sōsuke-kun," Kyōaku spoke aloud, as he mentally calculated the next best approach. He knew that a prolonged battle would acquire unwanted attention from any number of allies at his enemy's disposal, not to mention display the weakened state the Inner Circle had been desperate to hide thus far. He knew a singular strike would be needed. Even if his opponent could die, then at least one that would leave him in a state close to death. He needed to move fast if he was to gather his allies to withdraw and gain more forces to properly take back their headquarters. If he kept this up much longer, he wouldn't be able to accomplish anything. "As much as I'd like to test my abilities and see if we can truly compete against each other as truly intelligent warriors," Kyōaku explained, raising his blade to be horizontally aligned to his upper chest, its edge pointing to his left as he glared behind his helm, "but I'm afraid only one attack shall truly declare whom will have dominion over the Spiritual and Material Realms." Pocketing his hands inside his coat, Sōsuke smiled with an anticipating expression, allowing himself the opportunity to witness this man's strategy unfold. "Ban...kai!" Kyōaku shouted aloud, his blade transforming and the scabbard dissipating altogether. Then, his Spiritual Power erupted. '''''VRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRR!!!!! As if a literal Sun had been birthed into the space, Sōsuke's eyes widened with shock and his smile dropped to show a sign of shock-ridden agape. Black tongues flowed across the ground, a column of golden light enraptured over a sphere of silver-orange-red energy that swirled around Kyōaku and transformed his very being. Exiting the maelstrom of destruction was a completely different looking entity than Sōsuke would've expected. Gone was the violet and black, dramatic attire, including the black helm he had fastened over his head, now shoing his face, having transformed to reveal all of his magnificence and glory before his enemy. Kyōaku's once brown trimmed hair had changed into black, silky smooth mane that caressed his shoulders. A golden necklace rested over his collarbone, with tomoes of various colors resting over the front of his red & white kimono. A pair of rectangular shaped golden earrings dangled from his ears, grouped in three per side, making his beguilingly crimson eyes all the more fiery and intimidatingly attractive. Both of his sleeves were grandiose in gait and had a white background with red symbolic circles on each flanking direction, each of them holding red linen wrappings looped casually over each other to hook behind his lower back. A red sash wrapped around his waist, holding fast the white hakama skirt flowing around his legs, with nothing but bare feet below its enraptured surface. Most impressively, a fastened array of golden embroidery of deified design flourished from the base of his spine upwards. As if in the shape of a pair of solid golden wings in the shape of rising flames, a pair of tomoe tongues hovered with a vibrant glow just a good meter above his shoulders. Lastly, the back of his head erected into a form of a crown, forming a triangular shape that speared out in three directions, while magnificently flourishing within his black locks. A smooth and eloquent voice broke out, bordering on the side of effeminity as he directed his attention to Sōsuke's quivering gaze, "Taiyōshin. What you see before you is the ultimate power I withold as the 3rd Horseman, the strongest force that my Zanpakutō can muster forth." "Such...a magnificent Bankai to witness," Sōsuke spoke with more composure than he had shown, his smile returning as he fully analyzed the power standing before him. After just a few seconds of deliberation, Sōsuke placed his hand on his sword, unsheathing it deliberately slow as he verbally regarded him with respect, "this may come to a shock to you, but you have truly impressed me, Kyōaku-chan. Seeing this power...excites me to no end. I wish to play a little and see what kind of power you possess, and whether or not it can truly end me!" "I can linger here no longer, Sōsuke-kun," Kyōaku spoke pointedly, his hand flicking to the side in emphasis. Within a flash of glistening gold light, a blade materialized within his right hand. Its design being regal, having a brown leather grip with golden weaving within and without. A circular pommel, two curled rings of gold veering into a silver diamond, flowing upwards into a pointed section where the blade began on the sword itself. Flowing upwards, a handful of golden rings hang loosely from the left side of the double-bladed weapon, before ending in a double-edged point. Bearing his Zanpakutō upon his enemy, Kyōaku then spoke with determination as his body lit up with a golden, divine aura that seemed to outshine any Bankai form displayed before Sōsuke's eyes, "Your machinations and this war, end now!" ---- "W-What is that?!" Furuidenshō shouted as he suddenly felt an enormous Spiritual Power rise to the surface. It was what followed the enormous pyre of white light that burst from the main headquarters of the Four Horsemen, where he thought Aizen, Yhwach, and the last known Horseman, Kyōaku Hōritsu were located, "t-that light...it looks like its Kyōaku's!" "Kyō-sama!" Seihai shouted with alarm, recognizing the power and the Bankai, having only shown it to her at one point, "i-i-it can't be! He was going to use Bankai's power to undo all of the death our forces sustained and the devestation wrought by the A-Alliance. Why is he using it now?! Is he going to wipe the enemy out?!" There was only one answer to that. "Aizen!!" Suna's guttural growl would emit the word as if it was a poison. Slowly, he brought himself up to his feet and breathed heavily as he dusted himself off. Thanks to Seihai's healing. the parts of his body that had been destroyed by Furuidenshō had been repaired to full functionality. However, the amount of energy he had expelled in the duel had still left him considerably exhausted. His figure was hunched over, his blade held limply in one hand. But it did nothing to restrain the contempt within his voice. "Kyōaku wouldn't activate his Bankai this early unless he was engaging a real tough enemy, and Pretty Boy was the one sitting by his side when we left." He continued, glaring over his shoulder in the direction of the power surge. "The bastard must've readied his knife earlier than anticipated! Doesn't matter, though..." He let out a grunt as he tried steadying himself. "If he can't kill Aizen, then I'll make sure to pick up where he left off!!" "S-Suna! You can't!" Seihai shouted with alarm, grasping him by the shoulder to emphasize her concern, "I've restored the blood you lost and your arm, but you still need time to recouperate your stamina and Spiritual Power. Without it, even a half-dead Aizen wouldn't think of you as a threat!" "We already have a containment plan set up for Aizen and that bearded partner of his," Furuidenshō spoke from his stalwart stance, holding his sword at the ready, but keeping it sealed to minimize the use of what Spiritual Power he had left, "plus, I owe them some payback. You just sit tight until we wrap this war up." That caused the Horseman to look at him with a mix of incredulity, disbelief and anger. Although the Head Captain seemed ready to defend himself, he was making no more moves to slay the two where he stood. Earlier before, he had seemed all too ready to destroy him, at the very least. But now that the battle was over, there was no more aggression and no more malicious intent. There was no more fight, despite their positions. Was he really being spared, despite all the destruction he wreaked upon the Soul Society and his reasons for doing so? To anyone else, it would have been a blessing. But for a warrior like Suna, it was a spit to the face. He grit his teeth, struggling to lift his sword up to point at Furuidenshō. "And what makes you think I'm going to do exactly that, Head Captain?!" He sneered. "I came into this situation expecting a duel to the death. One man lives, the other dies. After all that talk about killing me and the rest of the Horsemen to end this war, you're just going to leave it like this?!" He couldn't keep his sword arm up for much longer, and it once again fell to his side. But he would straighten himself up a bit more, his eyes meeting his enemy's. "If you don't have the stones to end my life, then how are you even beginning to think of defeating Aizen and Ywach?! Will you spare them, too?! Lock them up in a solitary prison and hope that they don't escape again?!" His sneer turned into a mocking grin, and he shook his head in resentment while letting out a chuckle. "Yeah, I'm sure that'd work very well considering the last time you did that..." A screeching noise would pierce their hearing senses, and it would be followed by a blinding light. It would take the form of a light blue bolt, the size of a tire iron, One that flew into Suna's left shoulder... SPLURCH!!! ...and blasted out of his right shoulder, burning straight through his upper torso's innards. The shape, the noise, the spiritual energy associated with the blast... it would be all too familiar to the lot of them. "It's a pity then, Horseman." the sly voice of Yhwach wrang from the direction of the Heilig Pfeil. His right index finger was pointed directly at them, the source of the blast, and his virtually unfazed figure stood calmly, with his black cloak billowing lightly in the wind. "That you, one of the great warriors ''of your time, will die filled with despair, rather than pride." he finished with his trademark smirk. Time stopped. Suna's eyes widened when he felt the sudden pressure tear through him. His pupils dilated, and the mocking smile was wiped off of his face. He felt himself staggering back against the pressure, all of his limbs suddenly becoming a lot heavier and colder. With his free arm, he shakily pressed a hand to the newly created wound and held his palm to eye level. Not only was his hand coated into his own blood, but he could see bits and pieces of his internal organs across his fingers. ''"So this is it, then? This is how I'm going to die?" As his eyes half-lidded and the light was slowly starting to vanish from his pupils, he slowly looked up at both Furuidenshō and the Quincy King. A small and bitter smile came across his face. "You see, Captain?" He croaked, his voice thick with his own blood. "Th-this isn't a fairy tail in where the villain is redeemed by defeat. One side lives and the other dies. You try to do what you just tried to do with me... they'll break out, continue their rampage and destroy what you value. If you really want what is best for Soul Society and the rest of the world... destroy them, wipe them from the face of existence. That's the only way you can ever hope for peace..." He was cut off by his own blood rising within his throat. He fell to one knee, erupting a plethora of sticky red liquid from his mouth. His sword dropped to his side, and he found himself struggling to hold himself up with his remaining arm. He couldn't hold his head up anymore and could only direct his voice to the subordinate he had allowed himself to call a comrade. "Sorry, kid..." He whispered, allowing his head to crane in her direction and give a blood-filled smile. "If any of the other Horsemen make it through this... you'll have to give them my regards for me... farewell..." Slowly, his eyes closed and the last of his motor functions began to shut down. "Seihai." He would collapse on his back in a puddle of his own blood. His eyes were closed, and his bloodied chest would fall still. The Horsemen was dead. "N-No!" Seihai felt herself freeze, and her whole body quake. It was unbelievable. She didn't sense Yhwach's approach and was too careless to raise a barrier to protect him. Why didn't she do it?! And his last words, caused tears to roll down her face, "S-Suna-dono?! S-Suna?! SUNA!!!!!!!" Furuidenshō's eyes widened at the scene that unfolded. He heard Seihai's cries deafen to the thumping heart behind his chest. His pupils dilated as his gaze directed towards Yhwach, with a vicious snarl to bare towards the Quincy King. An believable, white hot rage boiled within his gut and expanded outwards. "You...decrepit...human...BASTAAAAAAAAARD!!!!!" Furuidenshō roared out with no restraint, his body engulfed with a pyre of Spiritual Power that expanded across his whole being. The visage made him appear like a collosal being, with blazing red eyes, with a bright blue sword at his side. The force quaked the entirety of the Seireitei, as debris rose up into the air, and tendrils of spiritual electric pulses ran across the landscape, his being warped as much as his murder-filled voice was, "I'm going to rip you apart and leave nothing for you to come back from, Yhwach Juhabach!" "Come now, Shin'nen." Yhwach replied calmly, taking note of the massive release of spiritual energy, but not letting it disrupt his composure. "I do believe it's time for you to grow up." His hand would raise once more, and from his palm, a black arrow of energy would fire out at the massive construct of energy that Furuidensho's person created. It blew right through the construct's chest, and within seconds, the construct began breaking down. Furuidensho's Spiritual Pressure, what he was exerting, was beginning to break down, and decrease in strength. "It's called 'Zerfall'." he explained casually. "It takes whatever form of Spiritual energy, Reishi, Kidō, even your naturally exerted power, and breaks it down into nothingness. Within just a few minutes, you will be rendered completely helpless." he then grinned in a sinister way. "As will your entire Seireitei, when the Quincy reclaim what is rightfully theirs!!" CRACK-FZZZZT! 'Within a single swipe, Furuidenshō's blade shattered the structural integrity of the incoming black arrow, as well as dispersing the wrath-induced aura he had. With a vivid glare, the Head Captain snarled out, "You'd actually think such an obvious attack would work on me?! You're losing your touch, old man!" ''SHFT-SHEEEEOOOOOOOW! "'''Kaimetsu!" Furuidenshō shouted, as he appeared before his enemy and released his own Spiritual Power within a blinding wave of destructive light. At the forefront of the light, an enormous pyre of explosive force burst out, aiming to strike the Quincy's Blut Vene protected body and throw him across the skyline of the Seireitei, as the flames burst across the sky magnanimously and declaritively, utterly breaking the moment of respite from titanic battles. Forming his own Spirit Weapon, Yhwach's curved blade clashed with Furui's and created a large divide between the Commander's incredible attack. Channeling the Reishi around him into his weapon, Yhwach was able to send a powerful wave against the opposing force, sending the Commander skidding back several meters. "You must not have heard me." The Quincy king smirked, stabbing his blade into the ground while still holding onto it's handle. "I said it's time for the Quincy... to reclaim what is ours." From the ground underneath him, a massive pillar of blue flames erupted, consuming his entire form and stretching for several meters. Following this, nearly twenty more pillars of the same size and scope began appearing on random parts of the Soul Society battleground. However, while these flames erupted, their shadows began to spread around the Seireitei. Soon, the shadows would start to deteriorate, but in their place would not be the ruined structures of the Shinigami home, but rather, it would appear to be a frozen city of Victorian design. This soon overtook all of the Soul Society, changing the layout of the battlefield entirely. When the fire pillars disappeared, beings cloaked in the same uniform as Asumu Godai, As Nodt, Driscoll Berci, and Bambietta Basterbine, would be standing in their place. These were the remaining Stern Ritter! Yhwach himself appeared out of his flame pillar, the place where he and Furui stood now being the top of a massive building made of the same ice material as the rest of the new city. "Our home." A Tale of Veteran and Survivor "How are you feeling?" "Normally... I'd say okay. But..." Tenshina was looking at one of his arms in amazement and awe, holding its wrist with the other hand while he did so. "Whatever that revive pill did... it certainly had an extra kick to it. I don't know if it was just the fact that I got killed or what, but I feel so... invigorated." A wide grin slowly crept across his face as he turned his head to look at Kameyo. "I feel like could take down a full-grown Dragonbird with nothing but my bare hands!" "That's because the pill does more than just revive you." Braeburn allowed himself to speak up, causing the brown-haired young man's eyes to fall on him. He was leaning against a wall with his arms folded across his chest. "It retains the basic genetic code that made up your identity and the like. Normally, that would only allow you to keep your powers. But modification allows the capsule user's combat abilities bolstered to a much higher level. Not sure what exactly what you and your friend's been pushed to," He gave a light shrug of the shoulders. "But, if I had to take a guess, you'd be about triple from where you were when you were human." "Quite a useful thing to have, considering your recent losing streak." Kameyo remarked jokingly, earning a slight glare from Tenshina. "Hey!" "In any case, I guess we owe our lives to that shady character after all," Choku smiled, pressing his forefingers along the bridge of his nose, adjusting his glasses as he looked over at Kameyo and his allies, "its funny how one member of the Gotei 13 ended up saving us from an ex-member, right Valeur-san?" "It is indeed strange," Valeur spoke with a frown, his arm wrapping firmly around Kameyo's waist as he kept her close, especially while amongst tentative allies, "but I'm more curious as to what kind of price this Noroshi expected from us in return. Information? Tactics? More grunts for the Alliance war effort?" "Let the brass worry about that later," Yōki spoke with a tired, nonchalant tone as she waved towards Valeur's direction, smiling towards Bokujin and Choku's visage, "consider us on the same side for the time being. Just don't go starting trouble unless you want it to find you." Rokotsu squatted right next to Kameyo, smiling widely and waved right in front of her face, "Hello there! Let's be friends, okay?!" "Rok-chan, that's too close," Yōki spoke with a narrow-eyed stare of disapproval. "Oh go ahead! These people we almost got killed or were nearly killed themselves are totally sociable to your type!" Takashi jeered with a chuckle, now dressed in more traditional Shikhakushō with a straw hat sitting atop his head, leaning against a supply crate, "that is, if the very friendly robot chick wants you to keep your face for herself or not, hahaha!" "You shut up, Takashi!" Yōki growled towards Takashi, only receiving an uncaring middle finger in emphasis of his dispassion to her orders. "...I'm not a robot." After regarding the bubbly woman with a wide-eyed stare of curiosity and surprise, Kameyo would turn her eye to Takashi. "The correct term would be "cyborg", a hybrid of flesh and machinery." This caused Tenshina to take a double-take at her. "...wait, what?" Kameyo closed her eyes and gave a slight nod of acknowledgement... well, as best as she could while cuddled up to Valeur. "I have certain... disorders... that prohibit me from going into combat without them being regulated. To fix it, I had to undergo extensive surgery to keep internal functionality at stable levels. The Inner Circle doctors were trying to find a more long-lasting and less micromanaging solution. That is, until the war took place." The brown-haired boy couldn't help but cock an eyebrow. "You definitely sound like a robot, you know that?" "It's what helps make our group much more diverse." With that being said, Kameyo turned her attention back to Rōkotsu. "And aren't we friends already?" "Well...I guess so," Rokotsu tapped her lips, as she looked over at Yōki, "are we friends, Yōki-chan?" "Yes, Rok-chan. We are," Yōki smiled while rolling her eyes. "Then we are!" Rokotsu spoke with a wide smile, reaching out and hugging Kameyo tightly, "so nice to have another friend!" Valeur could only blink with surprise, as part of his arm was smothered by the orange haired woman, leaning against Kameyo in a surprise sign of affection and comraderie. Choku sighed, chuckling as he looked over at Braeburn, "So now that we're all friends, when are you going to pass the rice balls and pour us some cups of tea? Despite my new body's invigoration coursing through me, I'd prefer if I could fill up the empty gut I have right now." "What?" Braeburn allowed a smirk to cross his face, turning his head to look over at the man. "Did Captain Kuchiki just happen to slice out your lunch, too?" It was a rather dark joke to make, admittedly. Considering the near-death experience they had at the hands of the wrathful Byakuya, chances are it would have shaken them up a little rather than make any of them laugh. So naturally, this would get a slight glare from the brown-haired male. "Seriously? The least you could do is pay us some sympathy, you prick." He grumbled, showing annoyance. "By what the medics told us, Kameyo was in pretty bad condition when we were taken here. I'm pretty sure that the last thing she or any of us need to be reminded of is us getting butchered like we did--" "And thus, the cyborg-knight-ninja sandwich was created." Kameyo's deadpan line promptly caused him to break off from his tirade. Both he and Braeburn ended up looking in surprise at the pale girl, who was now. being hugged by both Valeur and Rōkotsu at once. With the orange-haired woman on one side and the knight on the other, it really looked like Kameyo was being sandwiched between the two. The sight made Tenshina forget his annoyance and smile a little, raising a hand to cover his mouth lightly. "Oh, if only I had a camera...." He thought to himself, his smile growing wider when he saw Kameyo slip an arm out to bring it around Rōkotsu and bring her closer. Throughout it, she still had the comic deadpan look on her face. "Alright, Rok-chan, you've socialized enough with your new friends," Yōki grasped her by the collar, pulling her away from the sandwitch that had been created, causing the lastter to pout, "go ahead and take point with the sentry. They need your eyes out there for now." "Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiine~" Rokotsu narrowed her eyes, and hung her shoulders with disappointment, as she trotted away. Her axe dangling from her back, she made sure to jump into skip as her mood flipped back into positive as she hummed her way to the perimeter of the FOB recovery camp. Valeur sighed, as he turned his gaze to the DCO squadsmen, asking them inquisitively, "So after this, what next? I'm fairly certain that the Inner Circle will call for allies from the other domains and encampments across the Spiritual Planes. Not to mention Aizen's forces from Hueco Mundo, and Yhwach's still transparent Quincy army, do you have any more allies to rely upon?" "Details, details," Takashi waved his hand dismissively with a confident smile, "with the heads cut off from the body, there's no way the Inner Circle will mount a serious offensive against the Soul Society here, least of all once all of our Captains are back on their feet." A slight frown crossed Braeburn's face. "I wouldn't put that into a guarantee just yet, though..." He commented, pushing himself off of the wall and looking at the two of them. "That's just talking about the Inner Circle here. Aizen and the Quincies are an entirely different story. They run under separate leaders, so I doubt that the casualties of one army will affect the effectiveness of another. Still," He folded his arms in a slight shrug, putting on a small grin. "We're doing pretty good so far. I'm sure that whatever they'll throw at us will just get tossed back just as quickly as it came, don't you think?" Tenshina gave a heavy sigh at this, sitting down on the ground and resting his arms on his knees. "I really wish I shared your optimism, buddy..." He muttered. "We, for one, have been having real bad luck during everything that's been going on. I mean, sure, you guys were the cause of most of it... but as of this moment, I'm a bit pessimistic. All of it just seems too good to be true." It was then at some point, the rise of Spiritual Power was unmistakable. It shook the foundation of the Soul Society, and could almost be felt as static-based pressure that sent spasms of pain for those within the Soul Society's perimeter. Two things happened next. One was an enormous pyre of explosive force flowing overhead the FOB all company was residing in, dictating it to be an attack issued by the Head Captain himself against one of his enemies. The other, was far more ominous and ridden with despair... The entire FOB encampment vanished, along with the Rukonagi sectors, and even the battel scarred Seireitei. Everything was swallowed up by flowing shadows, and replaced by the atmosphere of a cold, bleak landscape of frozen structures and white themed brick-laden roads. The Soul Society was gone, and up came a new city, holding all of its inhabitants captive. "Bokujin," Choku spoke pointedly, pressing his glasses up as he twitched a near comically sign of frustration and horror, melded into a visage of flat expression of irritation towards him, "I do believe that the term, you jynxed us, applies here indefinitely so." "I have to concur with Ser Choku on this one," Valeur spoke aloud, as his eyes widened at seeing what had transpired before their eyes, as they were all sitting within a white hubble, rather than the comfortable compact tent they were all waiting in. If Tenshina hadn't been paying more attention to their immediate surroundings, he would have been quick to retaliate. He shot up from his position like it was filled with snakes, his widened and dilated eyes looking around. Despite the drop in temperature, his skin was sweating bullets under the terror he was feeling. If it hadn't been for the sickening wave of spiritual pressure that had washed over them earlier, he would have been a little more composed. But now, it was like he had been plucked from one familiar area and sent to a completely foreign one that showed signs of an apocalypse. He only managed to get out three words. "What the fuck...?!" He wasn't the only one to be deterred by the sudden change of scenery. "Braeburn to Rokotsu and D.C.O. sentries outside Encampment 05-A!" The Australian barked into his earpiece, breaking from his idle relaxing stance. A few beads of sweat could be seen falling down his own face, and he clearly was on full alert. "What the bloody hell is going on out there?! Over!!" He gritted his teeth, running over to the door and raising a boot to deliver a sharp kick to the frame. It was blown off of its hinges, revealing the new and much more hostile environment to the hubble residents. The only one who didn't seem that fazed by it was Kameyo. "Well, this is quite interesting." The woman commented, quickly getting over her surprise quickly and analyzing their surroundings with curiosity. "I never knew that one had the power to transport entire societies from one place to another like this.... assuming that this is some sort of transportation spell..." Oddly enough, she hadn't moved an inch from her spot within Valeur's embrace. Apparently, the fact that they were in the enemy's home base hadn't bothered her that much. "R''okotsu to Burny! The whole neighbourhood is gone! Just swallowed up by shadows and left stupid frozen buildings in their place!" Rokotsu responded immediately. "''Agent Ryos reporting! It appears that whatever caused it was beneath the Soul Society. It seems that the position of whatever world was axially mirroring this world was now inverted, trading places as if they're on two sides of a mirror, or shadows in this case," Another agent reported. "What the Hell could've done this?! The entire battlefield has been changed, but none of the people left-...wait! They're appears to be dozens of fiery blue pyres, scorching up to the sky. They seem similar to when those four Stern Ritters appeared!" Another agent responded with apparent surprise. "Dozens...of Stern Ritters?!" Yōki's face paled, as her breath came out in misty, ragged breaths of fear. Looking outside, she saw many pillars of blue fire, making it almost a frozen hell on the earth they stood upon. More worrisome was the pillar of flames appearing just a half kilometer away from their hubble, and not more than a dozen meters away from their designated perimeter, "perimeter team, you have a pillar of fire ontop of you! Pull back! I don't want the Stern Ritter engaging you!" "They won't pull back in time," Valeur spoke gravely, tightening his grip on Kameyo briefly, before letting her go, walking forward to Braeburn and Yōki's positions, "I'll go help secure them an exit. Just say the word, and I'll draw its attention away from all of you." "Sir Spear-a-lot, that's suicide! Those Stern Ritters were decimating the Alliance squads sent to contain them. How can you fair any better?!" Takashi asked out derrisively, while smiling nervously. "I have something to come back to, and something to protect," Valeur spoke pointedly, as his eyes drew a stoic line towards him briefly, returning back to Kameyo, and then back at Braeburn, "that's saying more than what the squads had in mind when going to face such an unknown enemy. At least I have a vague idea what they're capable of." This was enough to make Tenshina fall from his horrified trance. He snapped his attention to Valeur, looking at him as if he had grown two heads. His eyes narrowed, and he grit his teeth. "And you think you can take them out all by yourself?!" He asked rhetorically in disbelief. "Those guys not only have skill, but they're probably going to outnumber you by the dozens! You're out of your mind if you think we're going to just sit here and let you go alone. Let us help you!" "We are a team, aren't we?" Kameyo asked calmly, sliding off of the bench they were laying on and coming up to her feet. She reached behind her to grasp the hilt of her katana and to her waist to grasp the hilt of her chokuto, slowly unsheathing both swords and readying them. "It'd be a crime to let you stray into a battlefield by yourself if we can help it." Silently, Braeburn regarded Yōki with a questioning gaze. Despite his own opinion on the matter, it was ultimately her call as the leader to decide on what to do. Rolling her eyes, Yōki sighed with a resigned tone, "Fine, we all go together. This place isn't any safer than it was before the topsy-turvy town replaced it." Valeur looked towards Kameyo and then the rest. With a reluctant smile, he too gave in with a belated sigh, "I guess we're all going to save our friends. Do or die, just like always, hm?" "That's the usual routine, Sir Pointy," Takashi quipped with a smile, as he stood to his own feet with acknowledgement, "its always a mission that's stacking the odds against us. That's what the DCO was made to do, after all. Take on the impossible missions and somehow succeed by the skin of our teeth." "Not that much different than us, I suppose," Choku chuckled with realization, as he stood up next to Kameyo, Bokujin, and Valeur, "we're all in this together." "...oh, no. Don't move at once, it's not like we're in an immediate rush or anything." With that bit of sarcasm, Braeburn allowed himself to take the initiative. Without hesitation, he sprinted out of the door and began to race to the outside. His movements caused Tenshina to widen his eyes and jerk his head after the Australian. "W-wait a minute, what do you think you're--?!" "Hurry up, or I'll leave you all behind!" Braeburn cut him off with his own call back to the group. Hee was quick to turn around and wave his arms in a brief rallying stance before using a Flash Step to take himself up to the rooftops. The Fullbringer would be left to stare in slight disbelief before turning to the apparent team leader with only one question, "Does he... do that often?" "Its Braeburn's way of being serious without spoiling his sense of morale," Yōki explained with a smile, nodding to his direction as she walked to the chilling outside, "sarcasm and wit are his best weapons in the face of overwhelming odds of disadvantageous circumstances. You get used to it after awhile..." Takashi snorted as he followed, "That's like trying to get used to Rokotsu's destructive impulses when she's drunk off her ass..." "Or your inability to use your brain?" Yōki quipped back with a toothy-smirk. "Dammit, Yōki!" Takashi comically flailed his arms as he chased after her and his squadmate. Choku was left sighing as he took initiative for their group, "I guess it doesn't matter what side you're on. Every group needs a comedian, I suppose..." "Indeed, Serah, we have our own," Valeur nodded, briefly casting his gaze to Bokujin, casting a brief hint of a humored smile, before rushing out of the exit with a bounding leap, "come on, Kameyo! The more we stay idle, the more likely Rokotsu and the others will need our services!" "Ey!!" As Kameyo raced after him, Tenshina spared a slight glare in his retreating back. "Don't you mean come on, Kameyo and Tenshina?!" He snapped, balling up his fists. "Just because you've got a girlfriend now doesn't mean that I'm not your teammate anymore!" He followed this up with an annoyed groan, but decided to race after the two himself. He drew his balisong out of its holster, flipping it to transform it into the sword he loved so much. Once the cool air hit his face, his eyes narrowed and a scowl formed. There could be no hesitation this time. There could be no fear or sympathy for the enemy. Either they fought and won, or they died in this Quincy-controlled iceland. He had already died once, and he sure didn't plan on doing it again. He gripped his sword tightly with his lone hand. "Don't worry, Kameyo... not going to give you another chance to cry over us again. We're going to make it out alive... whatever it takes." The White Light Cometh, A Band of Survivors Unite! 'KRAK! ' "Gaugh!" Rokotsu uttered, as saliva flew out of her mouth, and her body careened into half a dozen ice-crusted structures. "Rokotsu!" One of the agents shouted with alarm, grasped by the shoulder for restraint by agent Ryos. "Pull yourself together! The enemy is just over-" Ryos continued, but suddenly found himself cut off as blue arrow streaked through his shoulder, leaving a cauterized hole in its place. After coughing out blood, he fell onto his knee, upon the roof of the building they took refuge, "-there!" "Ryos!" "Its nothing I can't handle," Ryos struggled to remain calm, even as he saw the face-less, hodded Stern Ritter walking towards their direction, "but...I'm not sure how long..." As far as the two remaining agents were, nearly a dozen others lied astrewn across the battlefield. Some were bent out of shape and seen lying in odd angles. Others were lying within pools of their own blood. Some, like Rokotsu, were lucky enough to be durable to handle the effortless assaults by the voiceless Quincy that continued to harass them inexplicably and without warning. Speaking of Rokotsu... "YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" Rokotsu shouted out with rage, as she blew apart the debris she was thrust it, as she flew like a rocket towards her prey. Swinging her axe in all manners of directions around herself, she finally flipped in a right arcing sideways direction, swinging her axe with her, while it primed with golden crackling energy. When she finally connected, she found a black gloved hand coming from his left side grasped her axe with ease, and held her airborne person aloft without difficulty. It was then, that he decided to speak, and with great amusement, "Such a beautiful girl. The Soul Society must be barbarous to have enlisted you into such an organization. Such a shame I have to break you..." CRAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK! With a simple clench of the hand, the axe's forward cutting edge shattered, allowing him to grip a handful of the bladed shards. Spinning to the side, he thrust the shards towards her exposed midriff, causing them to impale her body and exit out her back. "A...uh...lp!" Rokotsu coughed up blood, as she fell to the ground, aghast at how utterly beaten she was. "No need to cry, little one," the Quincy spoke lowly and with menace, as he pointed his right index fnger, causing it to light up with pale crackling light, "I'll make your end instantaneous."